Thursday, October 14, 2010

The most pain-free, innocuous detox you've ever done in your life

Yesterday I wrote this incredibly emotional post, describing some of the more difficult times in my life. I wanted to give you a little background information on me, some of my past experiences, and how it led me to be who and where I am today. Of course, by the end of the post, I was so wrapped up in what I'd been writing, I felt really emotional and bummed out! Maybe I'm not ready to share those things with the world yet! I woke up this morning in mini-funk, mulling over things beyond my control. I hated that my well-meaning blog led to a) my NOT posting and b) making me feel bad about things beyond my control. I needed a mind detox! So I've been deep breathing and counting my blessings, drinking tea and shamelessly browsing zenhabits.net and crazysexylife.com to give me some perspective on life. I also have a hot date tonight with my favorite Rodney Yee yoga dvd, and I feel much better just anticipating our upcoming relax sesh. Honestly, I'm pretty rusty at the whole zen/calm/meditation thing, and don't feel like I have any expert wisdom on mind-detoxing that I can dispense.

I DO however, have some pretty awesome tips on how to rid yourself of those nasty toxins that accumulate AFTER stressful times. There are lots of things that can cause a build-up of toxins in our system, and stress is one of the main causes. We also accumulate toxins when we experience physical stress by eating overly-processed, sugary and fatty foods. Also, if we eat too MUCH food (even healthy food) our digestive system can't handle it, and this results in bodily stress. If we have too much caffeine in our system, if we don't drink enough water, if we lead a sedentary lifestyle, and when we don't get enough sleep, we are contributing to the physical stress and buildup of toxic yukkies in our body. Additionally, there are even MORE catalysts in our daily routine that stress us out and leave our systems overwhelmed! Our bodies are fabulously, amazingly designed to get rid of all these contaminants, but when we put too much strain our cleansing system through improper nutrition or an unhealthy lifestyle, it can't handle all the buildup that's accumulated!

When our bodies are overworked they can't properly regulate our systems and we end up feeling lethargic, cranky, headache-y, and crave-y. We tend to gain weight, have dark circles under our eyes, and get blemishes and blotches on our skin. All of these things are signs of stress and incomplete elimination of all that gross gunk hanging out in our systems! Nasty. The majority of the time, if we eat right and maintain a healthy lifestyle while keeping our anxiety in check, we can demolish those negative symptoms of stress and toxicity. But there are certain times we allow life to overwhelm us, or we do things that aren't great for us, and it's time for a detox.

I'm not talking about one of those poop-your-brains out detoxes or an extreme liquid "elimination" diet! Maybe I'll change my perspective someday, but to me those sound super extreme, and downright scary. Now that I've kept you in suspense for the past three paragraphs, I'll tell you about my FAVORITE bestest most awesomest detox method in the world: Dry Brushing!

Dry brushing is a great way to stimulate our lymphatic system, which is one of our bodies natural systems of junk elimination. You know how people get massages to encourage circulation and remove all the crap building up in their system? Dry brushing is essentially the same thing, only cheaper! Obviously, it's slightly less fun...massages are an indulgent special occasion treat, while dry-brushing is perfect for daily relaxation and wellness :) Dry brushing also claims to: remove cellulite, cleanse the lymphatic system, remove dead skin layers, strengthen the immune system, stimulate the hormone and oil-producing glands, tighten the skin which prevents premature aging,tone muscle, stimulate circulation, improve the function of the nervous system, and help digestion. I just started dry-brushing recently, so I don't know if all of that is true, but I know it's fun, relaxing, and makes my skin super-smooth! I'll have to update you if the rest of the claims turn out to be true. If you want an in-depth explanation of what rocks about dry-brushing, or instructions on how to do it, this is where I found my info:http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniques/dry_brushing_technique.htm

2 comments:

I love your perspective on life. It's refreshing! I've read about dry brushing before then forgot about it until now. I'm super stressed and definitely seeing/feeling the side effects. I think it's time to try it out! Where did you get your brush from?

I actually bought mine at whole foods and I LOVE it! If there isn't one in the area you can search and order one online, you can totally get a cheaper one and I don't know how much of a difference it makes. If you're still not finding what you want message me again and I'll try to better direct you! :)